Changing the pace from his usual small print drops, Cleon Peterson has released a new triptych set called THE POSSESSED. Opting for one dominant color palette, as opposed to three different iterations, the Los Angeles-based artist displays a tussle for power between two factions of humanoid figures — each represented by a black or gold hue with white accents.
Violence and the pursuit for power have been prevalent motifs throughout Peterson’s oeuvre, themes that have persisted across the history of civilization, to which he constantly mines for references. Drawing parallels to antiquity, Peterson creates largely monotone paintings and sculptures that aesthetically hark to the reliefs of Ancient Egypt and Greece, inserting modern political figures such as Donald Trump in an attempt to issue a warning to his audience of the perils of failing to recognize the lessons of yesterday.
“It all feels like the start of a new brand of crisis that humanity has never experienced before,” Peterson previously said when describing out present moment, “giving us the sallow feeling that we are both at the end and the beginning of something bigger than the unceasing human conquest for power.”
THE POSSESSED is a three-color hand-pulled screen print on 290gsm Coventry Rag paper with deckled edges. Each set of three comes signed and is limited to an edition of 125. Sizing at 18 x 18 inches, the artwork comes unframed and is available to purchase for $300 USD.
